ST. JOHN ORTHODOX CHURCH

 

1663 TUTWILER AVENUE

MEMPHIS, TN 38107

(901) 274-4119

www.stjohnmemphis.org

 

V. Rev. Fr. Basil Cushman               V. Rev. Fr. John Troy Mashburn, Jr.                  Rev. Fr. Donald Berge

                                                                           Assistant Pastor                                               Pastor                                               

 

GREAT VESPERS                       ORTHROS and CHURCH SCHOOL    DIVINE LITURGY

Saturday, 6:00 p.m.                                    Sunday, 9:00 a.m.                      Sunday, 10:00 a.m.

 

Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America

“…the Disciples were called Christians first in Antioch!”

Acts 11:26

 

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

August 24, 2008

Epistle:  I Corinthians 4:9-16                Gospel: Matthew 17:14-23

                                                                                               

The Holy Bread for Eucharist is offered this morning by Lynda Spinolo.

 

Welcome to all those visiting St. John Orthodox Church.  We are honored by your presence.  It is our sincere desire that your participation today in the Divine Liturgy will draw you closer to Christ and His Church.

 

If you are from a non-Orthodox background you may see new things such as icons, incense, the sign of the cross, the veneration of saints, and a great deal of standing.  These can be perplexing to the uninitiated eye.  Rest assured that everything we do has a solid biblical foundation and a long history among Christian people.  Please feel free to participate where you feel comfortable, and feel equally as free only to observe when you prefer.

 

The Orthodox Church understands the Eucharist, or Lord’s Supper, to be – among other things – the paramount expression of Christian unity.  While it is our deepest hope that Christendom will one day fulfill Christ’s desire for true unity among all those who claim His name (John 17:21), the unfortunate reality of our day is that the various segments of Christendom are not unified with the historic Orthodox faith.  Since participation in the Eucharist expresses a unity with all the dogma and practice of the Orthodox Church, non-Orthodox guests do not receive Holy Communion.  The Holy Eucharist is reserved for those members of the Orthodox Church who have prepared themselves by prayer, fasting, and recent confession.  All visitors and unprepared Orthodox are invited to partake of the blessed bread as they come forward to venerate the cross at the end of the Liturgy.  Thank you for your understanding.

 

 

 

 

ST. JOHN CALENDAR                                      August 24th – August 31st (Wed. & Fri. Fast)

Sunday            - Teen Group – Meeting for Middlers at the church, 5:00 p.m.

- Young Adult Group at Fr. John & Kh. Pamela’s home, 7:00 p.m.

Monday          - First Hour, 6:45 a.m.

Tuesday          - Third Hour, 9:00 a.m.

- Choir Practice, 6:45 p.m.

- Catechumen/Inquirer’s Class, 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday     - Third Hour, 9:00 a.m.

- Vespers, 6:00 p.m.

- Wednesday Dinner, 6:45 p.m. (be sure to sign-up!)

Thursday        - Third Hour, 9:00 a.m.

                        - Men’s Lunch, 12:00 p.m.

Friday             - Divine Liturgy, 6:00 a.m. Fasting breakfast coffee hour to follow

                        - Stay & Play Group, will meet in the fellowship hall at 10:00 a.m.

Saturday         - Ninth Hour and Great Vespers, 5:50 p.m.

Sunday            - Orthros, 9:00 a.m.

                        - Divine Liturgy, 10:00 a.m.  

 

Divine Liturgy - The Beheading of St. John the Baptist - Friday, August 29th, 6:00AM

PRIEST:                       Fr. John                                    HOMILY:                    Fr. John

DEACONS:                 Dns. James & Tim                    READER:                    Owen White

HOLY BREAD:           Kerry Sneed                             ALTAR SERVERS:     Any who can

COFFEE HOUR:         Anne Dugan

 

Schedule for Divine Liturgy                                                      Sunday, August 31st    

PRIEST:                       Fr. Basil                                   HOMILY:                    Fr. John

DEACONS:                 Dns. Charles & James              READER:                    John Cameron

HOLY BREAD:           Mary Ann Coccaro                  USHER:                       John McGee

ALTAR SERVERS:     Ethan, J. Morgan, Luke L., Benji

COFFEE HOUR:         Lyons Family

 

Wednesday Night Service and Meal

We continue our Wednesday night meals this Wednesday.  You will need to sign up on Sunday or call the office Monday and let us know how many in your family will plan to eat. The cost is $3.50.  Vespers begins that evening at 6:00 pm, and we plan to eat between 6:45 and 7:00.  Come pray and eat with us!!   

 

Mark your calendars!

Soup Kitchen, Sunday, September 21st from 1:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Life Chain, October 5, from 2:00 – 3:00 PM.

 

 

COMMEMORATIONS

 

Aug. 24: Hieromartyr Eutychos, disciple of John the Theologian; New-hieromartyr Cosmas Aitolos, equal-to-the-Apostles and evangelizer of southern Albania; Dionysios the wonder-worker, bishop of Zakynthos; Venerable Gerasimos of Kephallenia; translation of the relics of Peter the wonder-worker, metropolitan of Moscow.

 

Aug. 25: Apostles Titos of the Seventy and Bartholomew.

 

Aug. 26: Martyrs Adrian and Natalia of Nicomedia; Venerable Joasaph; Venerable Adrian of Ondrutsov.

 

Aug. 27: Venerable Pimen the Great and Osios; Martyr Anthusa; Newly-revealed Martyr Phanourios of Rhodes; Caesarios, bishop of Arles; Venerable-confessor Hosios, bishop of Cordoba.

 

Aug. 28: Venerable Moses of Ethiopia; Martyrs Diomedes, Damon and Laurence; Martyr Susanna of Georgia; uncovering of the relics of Venerable Job of Pochaev.

 

Aug. 29: The Beheading of the Forerunner.  Venerable Theodora of Thessalonica, Theopistis and Joseph the Sanctified of Samaka.

 

Aug. 30: Alexander, Paul the New, and John, Patriarchs of Constantinople; Martyrs Phantinos of Calabria and Januarios; Repose of Venerable Alexander of Svir; translation of the relics of Alexander Nevsky, prince of Novgorod; Cyril and Makarios, patriarchs of Serbia.

 

Aug. 31: The commemoration of the placing of the Belt of the Theotokos in the Church of the Virgin in Halkoprateia-Constantinople.

**For reading material on the saints for this week, visit the display in the church library.

 

 

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS       August 24 – August 31

Sunday             I Corinthians 4:9-16                  Matthew 17:14-23

Monday           II Corinthians 2:4-15                Matthew 23:13-22

Tuesday           II Corinthians 2:14-3:3              Matthew 23:23-28

Wednesday      II Corinthians    3:4-11              Matthew 23:29-39

Thursday          II Corinthians 4:1-6                  Matthew 24:13-28

Friday              II Corinthians 4:13-18              Matthew 24:27-33, 42-51

Saturday           I Corinthians 1:3-9                    Matthew 19:3-12

Sunday             I Corinthians 9:2-12                  Matthew 18:23-35

 

                       

 

 

 

Pray for our catechumens:  In Memphis - James Pritchard, Leland & Courtney Murphree (Mary Charlotte), Gary & Cindy Karnaghon, Sue Brownlow, Larry Ichniowski, and Kinney Graham. In Tupelo - Shane Davis, Justin & Tifphanie Franks (Paris), Justin & Brandy Williams, Leah Hardy and Adam Clay.

 

Please remember in your prayers: His Eminence, Metropolitan PHILIP, His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN, Archimandrite Roman Braga, Rev. Fr. Mikhail & the faithful of Spaso-Pargolovo (St. Petersburg), Buddy Taylor, Margaret Layman, Chris Hodges, Jonathan Cushman, Jason Cushman, Judy Smith (Julie Sanderlin’s mother), Shirley Gore (Judy Terry’s mother),  Stephen Wright, Linda Starr (friend of Mary Ann Coccaro), Effie Johnson (Kh. Susan’s mother), Mary Clark, Beauvais George (pregnant), Joy White (pregnant), Jodi Yzaguirre (pregnant), Alicia Stickle (pregnant), Andrew Alissandratos, Ann Hicks (Dianna Hildebrand’s mother), Sue Ingram, Alexandra Dense.

 

 

- ALMS-GIVING -

FOOD PANTRY - Please remember that we give items from the food pantry to a few specific families all year long and this is a wonderful way to give alms all throughout the year.  We will continue to keep a bin just outside the parish hall for collection of these items.

 

HANDS-ON ALMS-GIVING OPPORTUNITIES - Rachel’s Kids – Interested in tutoring one on one, or donating food, drinks or paper serving items? Tuesday nights - Contact Lynda Spinolo.

 

OTHER CONTINUING ALMS-GIVING OPPORTUNITIES

Diocese of Miami and the Southeast Mission Fund

Michael Bittle Fund – Holy Trinity Orthodox Church – Little Rock, AR

Project Mexicowww.projectmexico.org

St. Paul Mission Station – Tupelo, MS

 

 

Candles - There are now six-day candles available for purchase in the narthex in addition to the beeswax candles. They are in purple glass sleeves and are available to be offered before the icons along the side of the church. Once the six-day candle has burned out the glass sleeve will be refilled and available again in the narthex for future offerings.

 

Upcoming Memorial ~ October 12 ~ Urania Alissandratos

 

Divine Liturgy for the Beheading of John the Baptist – We will celebrate the liturgy for the feast of St. John’s beheading this Friday at 6:00 am.  Come pray with us!

 

 

 

 

 

Antiochian Women of St. John’s Calendar

 

Upcoming Book Club Dates:

Monday, September 8thHannah Coulter by Wendell Berry

In September we will meet at Sarah Hodges Home, 1630 N. Parkway, at 7:00 p.m.

Monday, October 6th - Diary of a Country Priest by George Bernanos

Monday, November 3rdThe Bishop’s Mantle

In October & November we will meet at the home of Kh. Pamela Mashburn

 

Women’s Teaching Dates:

10:00 a.m. on the following Thursdays at the home of Anne Dugan:

September 4  ~  October 2  ~  November 13  ~  December 4

 

New Phone Directory – There will be a new church directory printed at the beginning of September. Please look over your entry in the current directory and send any changes to me. - Meribeth

 

Church School will begin Sunday, September 7th.  Classes meet on the third floor during Orthros (9-9:45 AM).  This year we are inviting all children aged 3-years-old through 8th grade to attend.  Please don't miss this opportunity for your child to deepen their understanding of our Faith and to develop relationships with their brothers and sisters in Christ!  See Katherine Thames or your child's teacher if you have any questions. 

Our classes are as follows:
 3 years old-Kindergarten - Emily Turner and Elizabeth Cameron
1st-3rd grade - Khouriya Pamela Mashburn
 4th-5th grade - John McGee and Laura Graham
6th-8th - Josh Stark

 

By the mercy and willingness of God, Dn. James, Subdeacon Joshua and I will leave September 6 for 2 ½ weeks in Jerusalem and Sinai.  During that time, we believe we will be able to pray for a significant amount of time at the Holy Sepulcher.  It is our intention to pray for each of you in the parish.  If you have others for whom you would like for us to pray, please give me a list of those names.  Please remember us in your prayers! - Fr John

 

Pro-life Corner - Mark your calendar for the annual “Life Chain,” October 5.

 

 

LIBRARY LINES The last week of our liturgical year honors St. Phanourios (8/29), one to whom we pray when we have lost things. This sounds a bit glib or even frivolous to us, but when we dig deeper, we find a more profound reason for this tradition. He suffered many tortures for Christ’s sake, and the finding of his icon was a miraculous story.  Read the account of his life and icon in St. John Library and see why his mother may be the most prayed-for relative of any saint.

Thanks to purchases and donations from parishioners and St. Paul Skete, St. John Library continues to expand. Look for these new titles on the display cart. The set of The Ante-Nicene Fathers is a circulating set and has already been shelved in the Patristics section.

On the Priesthood and the Holy Eucharist by Protopresbyter George Dragas

The Kingdom of God – the Sermon on the Mount by Archbishop Dmitri Royster

Mary the Untrodden Portal of God by George Gabriel

The Miracles of Christ by Archbishop Dmitri Royster

The Parables by Archbishop Dmitri Royster

The Epistle to the Hebrews, a Commemtary by Archbishop Dmitri Royster

The Truth of Our Fathers vol. 2, On the Christian Mysteries by Elder Cleopa of Romania

An Overview of Orthodox Canon Law by Prof. Dr. Panteleimon Rodopoulos

Rome & Constantinople by His Eminence Dr. Athanasios Papas

Ecclesiasticus I and II (Introducing Eastern Orthodoxy and Icons, Saints, Feasts and Prayer)

by Protopresbyter George Dragas

A Tiny Step Away from Deepest Faith by Marjorie Corbman

The Orthodox Church – 455 Questions and Answers by Stanley Harakas

The Struggle for Purity (cd) by V. Rev. Fr. John Mashburn

Ante-Nicene Fathers, volumes 1-10

Jesus and His Times published by Reader’s Digest        

The Inner Kingdom by Bishop Kallistos Ware

The Life of St. Sava by St. Nicholai Velimirovich

 

From Sue Ingram - Charles and I would like to thank the many caring people for their help and concern during my recent hospitalization and illness.  We appreciate the visits, the gifts and cards, the meals, but especially all your prayers.   I humbly ask you to continue to pray for me and my family while I undergo radiation and chemotherapy.   Love,  Sue

           

 

Teen Group Events

 

 Today – August 24th – Meeting for Middlers at church, 5 – 6:30 PM

 

Next Sunday, August 31st – Games at church, after Liturgy

 

 

Soup Kitchen – We will serve at the soup kitchen on Sunday, September 21.  Since we will be the only group assisting that day, it is important that we have a good turnout.  We will need 24 volunteers, teens and adults.  This is a good alms activity for individuals and families.